Government-off-the-shelf

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[a]n item that has been developed by the government and produced to military or commercial standards and specifications, is readily available for delivery from an industrial source, and may be procured without change to satisfy a military requirement.[1]

refers to custom software developed for the government for one purpose that is later reused "off the shelf" by contractors and other government agencies and integrated into new government systems and applications. GOTS software may be developed by the technical staff of a government agency or by an external entity with funding, oversight and specification from the agency, or by a combination of both. [2]